


Naruto: Trials of Life

by Dark Moon Dream (SkyWhiteRose8)



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-05 18:50:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16373096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyWhiteRose8/pseuds/Dark%20Moon%20Dream
Summary: When Life meets Death, they always give them a gift... But what if Death decided to give the gift this time..? Watch as our beloved blond idiot is marked by the Shinigami itself. Though it begs the question... Marked for what? Sasuke/Sakura Bashing, semi-smart Naruto, Rated M for Gore, Godlike Akatsuki





	1. 1. Introducing Konoha's Greatest Genin Group!

AN: Kon’nichiwa! Doreamu-Desu! (For those non weebs, that’s Dream.) This is my first fanfiction, so I’m sorry if I become inconsistent/get carried away. I would first like to say that this fic starts on team selection, everything up to this point will be considered cannon. There are 3 OCs that will play little part on the story in the very beginning, but will be important later on. I don’t really mind flames, but I would prefer constructive criticism. Please… I really need the feedback… DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto.. If I did, this is what the story would have been.

\---

Chapter 1: Introducing Konoha’s Greatest Gennin Group!

An orange blur sped down the streets, knocking over civilians, and not looking back. If one looked closely enough, they could see a blond haired, blue eyed, whisker-marked teenage boy in panic as he made his way to the academy. 

“Gahhhh!! I haven’t even been a ninja for a week and I’m already screwing up!!” the boy yelled as he narrowly dodged a fruit cart that seemingly came out of nowhere. This was Uzumaki Naruto; and as he said, he was late. VERY late.

 

\---

Konoha Academy

A chunin stood in front of the classroom, a scar across the bridge of his nose. His hair was in a ponytail, and he seemed quite saddened as he read off his list. He was assigning teams currently, yet there was a lack of a blond haired, blue eyed, whisker-marked teenage boy in the class. It wasn’t like Naruto to be late for something as important as this. ‘He better not be pulling another prank…’ The chunin thought as he continued down the list. “Team Seven: Kiba Inuzuka, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha-” the man said before he was cut off by a certain pink haired bansh- kunoichi. Pink haired KUNOICHI… 

“CHAAANAROO!!!” the pink haired bansh- kunoichi screamed at a blonde haired, blue eyed, whiskerless-marked, teenage girl, “I WIN INO-PIG, SASUKE-KUN IS ON MY TEAM!”

“SHUT IT FOREHEAD,” said the blonde haired, blue eyed, whiskerless-marked, teenage girl shouted back.

“Ahem.” 

Both teens looked back at their instructor and shrank with embarrassment. “Sorry Iruka-Sensei…” Both kunoichi spoke.

“Thank you. Team se-” Iruka started again before the door slammed open, an exhausted blond haired, blue eyed, whisker-marked, teenage boy fell to the floor. 

“I’m… Here… Iruka-sensei…” said boy huffed.

“Naruto? What are you doing here? Team assignments are only for ninja who passed, remember?” a boy with a puppy on his head spoke up.

“Look at the forehead, dog breath. I am a ninja,” Naruto replied.

“If you and Kiba are done, Naruto, please take your seat. As I was saying, Team Seven, your jounin sensei is Hatake Kakashi.” A pause for dramatic effect, “Team Eight: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Chouji Akimichi. Your jounin sensei is Kurenai Yuhi.”

It was at this point that the blonde haired, blue eyed, whiskerless-marked teenage girl sat up. A small chill went down her spine. Very slowly, her head turned to the left, landing on the seat diagonal to her at a certain blond haired, blue eyed, whisker-marked idio- shinobi. ‘No…. NO…. NONONONONONONONOOO!!!!!’ she screamed in her head. 

“Team Nine is still in circulation, so Team Ten, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Naruto Uzumaki.” Iruka said, before he was RUDELY INTERRUPTED FOR THE THIRD TIME.

“NOOOO!!!” Ino yelled as she stood up, “Sensei can I please change teams?? I don’t want to be on this team!”

Naruto looked down, a sad look in his eyes. Of course someone would complain about being on his team. Although Naruto knew nothing about her, he knew Ino hated him just as much as everyone else.

“Sorry Ino, the teams were selected by the Council itself. There will be no changing,” Iruka said. “Your Jounin sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi. Well then, that’s finished. Your jounin sensei will be here shortly.” Iruka smiled, walking out the room.

Ino slumped into her seat, pouting. Not only did forehead get HER Sasuke-kun, but she was also stuck with the dead last. Shikamaru wasn’t that bad, their dads were close, but he was extremely lazy. They would just drag her down. 

A couple minutes passed, and several teams left. The door opened and a man with short raven hair, tan skin and a cigarette hanging out his mouth entered the room. “Team Ten?” he asked. Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru stood up. The man wasted no time, just turning and motioning them to follow. 

Naruto had to admit, his jounin sensei looked super cool! Walking eagerly, Team Ten sat by the tree in front of the Academy, Naruto claiming the swing as he got there first. Suddenly an annoyed “Ahem,” interrupted his thoughts as he looked at a very annoyed Ino.

“What?” Naruto asked.

Ino rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have any manners? It is polite to give your seat to the lady.”

“But I got here first!” Naruto exclaimed in a semi annoyed tone. To be fair, he did get there first.

“How about both of you shut it down and no one sits on the swing?” Their sensei spoke up, sitting cross legged on the ground. 

In an annoyed huff, both blond teens sat onto the ground in the shade of the tree. 

“Thank you. Now, to get started, let’s all do introductions. Names, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams,” Asuma said.

“Umm, can you show us an example?” Ino asked.

Asuma let out a long drag, “Yeah, I guess I should huh..? Well… My name is Sarutobi Asuma, I like Soba with Tororo and playing shogi. My dislikes?? Probably just asparagus. For hobbies… I play shogi and blow more smoke than a chimney. My dream?? Hmm… I don’t really have one. How about you?” he tossed the focus from himself right back to Ino.

“Oh.. Umm, I’m Yamanaka Ino. My likes are Sasuke-kun and the color purple. My dislikes are…” Her voice trailed off as she took a quick glance at the blond idio- SHINOBI… beside her, which didn’t go unnoticed by said idio- Shinobi… Or Asuma. “My hobbies are shopping, gossiping, and going through fashion magazines. My dream…” she thought of herself in a white wedding dress, holding the arm of one Sasuke Uchiha, squealing with a blush.

“Okay then… You, other blond, go,” Asuma said, looking at Naruto.

“Right! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! My likes are ramen and training! My dislikes are the three minutes you have to wait for instant ramen. Seriously! If it’s instant, you shouldn’t have to wait! My hobbies are pulling pranks and watering my plants-” Naruto said before he got cut off.

“Ha! Yeah right! I bet you don’t know the first thing about gardening!” Ino said, her arms crossed.

“I do!” Naruto said back, “Anyways, my dream is to become hokage! Then, all the villagers will acknowledge me and I’ll be able to protect my precious people!” 

“You? Hokage? Yeah right. And Sasuke-kun is gonna confess his love to forehead instead of me,” Ino scoffed.

Asuma sighed, rubbing the back of his head before looking at the pineapple haired teen that seemed to be napping. “Alright kid, rise and shine, I gave you a lot of nap time.”

Said teen gave a small, “Troublesome,” as he leaned back up. “My name is Nara Shikamaru, I like Shogi and cloud watching. My dislikes are honestly too troublesome to say, and so are my hobbies as a matter of fact. My dream..? Hmm… I don’t really have one.”

‘Great, a loud mouth, an idio- shinobi…, and a lazy ass… just what I needed.’ Asuma thought. “Right, I’ll have an assessment of your abilities tomorrow. Meet at Training ground 13 at 8 AM sharp. Oh, and don’t bother with breakfast. You’ll just puke.” With that, Asuma disappeared with a puff of smoke.

“WHAT?! How’d he do that?! I need to do that!” Naruto exclaimed. Silence came, and as Naruto looked around, apparently his team had ditched him in the middle of his excitement. With a pout, Naruto stood up and decided to walk around a bit. It’s not like he was in much of a hurry anyways. 

\---

Couple Hours Later, Hokage Tower

“Hokage-sama, what is the meaning of this?” Questioned a semi angry silver haired cyclops. “I specifically remember requesting for Naruto to be on my team.”

Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Professor, God of Shinobi. Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure. “I apologize, Kakashi, but the Council refused to allow Naruto be on a team with Sasuke Uchiha. Although I hate to admit, we both know the reasonings. And Sasuke had to be with you, seeing as how you’re the only one capable to help him with his Kekkei Genkai.”

Kakashi sighed, fixing his composure after he lost his cool. “I understand, Hokage-same. I apologize for my temper.”

The Hokage waved a forgiving hand, “Worry not, Kakashi. I know I would have felt the same.”

Kakashi looked at the picture of the his sensei on the wall, the Yondaime Hokage. ‘I tried sensei… I’m sorry.’ Kakashi thought. He pulled out a small orange book from his pouch, walking out the Hokage tower. Though his eyes read the words, his thoughts were somewhere else, thinking over the past few years of his life. 

\---

Next Day, Training Ground 13

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Ino sat in a clearing, waiting for Asuma to arrive and assess their skills. Suddenly, dread creeped into Naruto’s mind. ‘What if he has us do the bunshin?! Oh dear.. PLEASE NO!’ he thought as panic set in on his face. 

At about 8:03, Asuma walked up to his genin, smiling. “Good to know you all aren’t slackers like a certain colleague of mine.”

Elsewhere in Konoha

A certain silver haired cyclops who was currently helping an old lady cross the road sneezed.

“Oh, bless you dear,” the elderly woman said.

“Oh, thank you, Haraki-san,” he said, pausing to let a few bicycles pass before helping her cross again.

 

Back with Team Asuma

“What’s the test Asuma-sensei?” Naruto asked.

Asuma took a long drag before slowly holding up two bells. “These two bells. You’ll have two hours to get these bells from me. If you can manage to do that, congratulations, not only do you get to eat lunch, you won’t have to go back to the academy.”

“What do you mean go back to the academy? We graduated yesterday,” Ino spoke up.

“That you did. But, as a Jounin sensei, I get the last word whether you stay on as a genin, or go back to the academy.”

“And with there only being two bells…” Naruto started.

“Only two of us will pass..” Shikamaru finished. “How troublesome…”

“Don’t forget, come at me with the intent to kill. If you don’t, you’ll never get a bell,” Asuma said. “Ready?” he asked as the three genin prepared themselves. “Begin!” 

As soon as those three words came out his mouth, two of the three genin scattered, hiding within the flora of the surrounding area. Asuma raised a brow, looking at Naruto. 

“You know, Gaki, staying in plain sight is suicide if you don’t have a plan,” Asuma taunted.

“Who said I don’t have a plan?” Naruto smirked. He crossed his fingers, determination in his eyes, “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” Suddenly, about twenty Naruto’s surrounded the jounin, each with their own smirk.

“Not bad, kid. Not too many people know that jutsu. And even less people can create as many as you just did,” Asuma said. Though, on the interior, he was panicking slightly. ‘How the hell can this one kid have so much chakra?!’

In the trees somewhere, Ino frowned at Naruto, clearly unimpressed. ‘What does he think those clones are gonna do? Asuma-sensei is a jounin.’ Her words were cut short from shock, as the clones began to move and actually made contact with Asuma. It wasn’t an illusion??

Besides Ino, Naruto’s other teammate was shocked at the information he just gathered. ‘This… This is impossible! Naruto has never been able to do the regular Bunshin jutsu, but here he is, fighting Asuma-sensei with twenty of him!’

Although there were more Narutos currently present than there were Asumas, Asuma didn’t have any trouble at all. Naruto’s taijutsu wasn’t just bad… It was absolutely horrid! This kid was an academy graduate for Kami’s sake! What Asuma didn’t know, however, was that the academy teachers purposefully taught Naruto incorrectly, through the use of sloppy formation and negative reinforcement. 

Naruto swung wildly at Asuma’s face, a loud, “Got you!” exiting his mouth. Upon striking Asuma’s cheek, Ino and Shikamaru sat wide eyed, watching the spectacle before Asuma poofed into a log. 

‘Kawarimi huh..? Troublesome..’ Shikamaru thought as he continued to watch. Naruto looked all around, screaming at himself for losing track of Asuma.

“You know, you’ll fail if you don’t try to get the bell,” Asuma said as he walked out the forest, “But I gotta admit, I like your courage. If only your teammates could show the same.” His hands moved quickly, forming seals, Asuma inhaled deeply, “Katon: Haisekishō.” With an exhale, black, chakra laced ashes blew towards Naruto. The blond started coughing, staying in the cloud, oblivious to the amount of danger he was currently in. With a smirk, Asuma clicked a piece of flint between his teeth, igniting the ashes and causing an explosion within the ash cloud. 

Needless to say, Shikamaru and Ino were shocked. There’s absolutely no way Naruto would live through that. As the smoke cleared, Naruto lay on the ground, burnt and singed. Asuma frowned. If this was all it took for Naruto to go down, the academy was losing its touch. He even held back a ton. 

Suddenly, shocking everyone even more, Naruto poofed out of existence as the real Naruto shot from underground, reaching for a bell. He could see it. A bell in his hand. His fingertip almost touching the grey ball. A sharp pain came from the back of his neck, everything going black as he fell unconscious from Asuma giving him a swift chop, working through instinct.

\---

Sometime Later

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, completely disoriented. He tried moving, but soon discovered he was tied to a post.

In the background, he could see Asuma fighting both Shikamaru and Ino. Pouting to himself, a small ache flushed his chest. “Looks like they got the bell…” Naruto said softly. “Sorry, Iruka-sensei, looks like I can’t make a good ninja after all.” Just then, the bell rang, signalling that time was up. Naruto perked up at this. If the timer went off now… Then he would have still had a chance! Shikamaru and Ino collapsed onto the ground, panting as Asuma came to silence the timer. 

“Good to see you’re awake, Naruto,” Asuma said.

“Yeah, too bad I couldn’t get the bell, though,” Naruto said softly. 

“What are you talking about? You grabbed it just before you went out,” Asuma said. “Sorry about that, by the way, I didn’t mean to knock you out for so long. It’s reflex from fighting stronger opponents.”

Naruto just now noticed a small glint beside him, the shine from a tiny silver bell. “Wait.. I got one?! Yatta!! I’m so great!” 

“You and Shikamaru both have one. The brat caught me off guard when I was distracted by Ino and pretended to keep getting it,” Asuma said.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, “It was too troublesome to fake for so long, honestly.”

Naruto smiled at Shikamaru. It was just like him. Then, he noticed the sad face Ino wore. Then he remembered. There were only two bells. He has one and Shikamaru has the other. “Hey, Ino…” Naruto started.

“Shut it, Naruto. I know, I’m going back to the academy…” Ino snapped.

“No, I wasn’t going to make fun of you… I was gonna say, you can have my bell if you want…” the blond said.

“What..?” Ino asked.

“I mean, you saw that fight… I think… I’m nowhere near good enough to be a ninja, I just graduated by luck. I saw you and Shika fighting Asuma-sensei. You deserve the bell more than I do.” Naruto smiled. “Plus, it’ll give me more motivation for next year in the academy!”

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Naruto,” Asuma said with a smile.

“What do you mean? You said-” Naruto started.

“I know what I said,” Asuma cut him off. “But what I didn’t say was that this was a test to see if you could all work together as a team. From your self sacrifice, you gave Ino the chance to advance and go forward. That, Naruto, is why you graduated.” 

“So… We all passed..?” Ino asked.

“You all passed,” Asuma said with a wide smile.

“Yatta!! I’m one step closer to becoming Hokage, dattebayo!” Naruto exclaimed. 

“Anyways, I’ll be on my way, have to tell Hokage-sama of your success,” Asuma said, disappearing in a shunshin.

“I have to go tell my parents! They’ll be so proud!” Ino said, running off.

“I’m off to nap. Today was just too troublesome…” Shikamaru said, walking away.

“U-uhh… Guys...? I’m still here!!” Naruto said, still tied to the post. 

Chapter End

\---

AN: AAAAAAAAAAnd that’s a wrap!!! Wait… no… that’s a chapter. This one was pretty short, since I have a tendency to write long chapters, but worry not!! I’m in the process of planning the second chapter! The next chapter should be longer..? Maybe?? I’m not sure, but I like to write long chapters. See you all next time!! I… think…?

PS: Beta read by his amazing (but idiotic) sister. Just so you know he’s not flawless.


	2. 2. YOU HAVE WHAT?!

AN: Hey guys, Dream here! Back with another chapter in this story of mine! This took considerably longer due to the fact that it is a LOT longer of a chapter. Firstly, I’d like to thank those who followed and favorited. It grew a lot faster than I thought it would. And thankfully, I’m not the only one who ships Naruto and Ino. I plan on taking my time with their character development and growth as shinobi, because I feel like to make an engaging story, you need engaging characters. So there will be chapters that don’t add much in terms of story and plot progression, but are important to character development. Just as a disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto. If I did, it would have been written like this.

On to the chapter!

\---

Chapter 2: YOU HAVE WHAT?!

Konohagakure - Naruto’s Apartment

Our friendly neighborhood idio- shinobi was currently asleep, snoring loudly as his alarm clock is sounding. Naruto lay in bed, pajamas on and a snot bubble expanding and contracting. It’s been two weeks since his genin team formed, and they’ve been working on building their stamina and teamwork. 

Shikamaru, despite all the protests he gives, has actually improved. It wasn’t much improvement, but he’s a Nara… You shouldn’t expect much. Ino, on the other hand, was struggling. With a diet consisting of small salads and water, it didn’t take an expert to see she was more concerned about her looks than her skill as a kunoichi. Naruto… Honestly hasn’t improved much. At least, in Asuma’s eyes. He was already a giant chakra ball, so there was no need to improve much on that. The problem was, no matter how hard Asuma pressed him, Naruto just never seemed to tire. He gave the blond idio- shinobi twice the amount of laps around the training ground and three times the amount of push-ups and sit-ups. Between babysitting Shikamaru so he didn’t fall asleep during sit-ups and making sure Ino didn’t faint from malnutrition, he didn’t have a lot of time to really think of a solution for Naruto’s endless stamina. Speaking of, it’s about time for our blond idiot to wake up, seeing as he’s already forty-five minutes late. 

Finally coming into consciousness, our beloved blond idiot groggily looked at the time, turning the alarm off. Shutting his eyes, he stayed in bed for a few more seconds before sitting up in a panic, looking at the clock once again. “WHAAATTT?!?! I’M LATE AGAIN?!” Naruto yelled as he jumped out of bed, rushing to the bathroom for a quick shower. 

\---

Meanwhile, in Training Ground 13

Shikamaru and Ino were currently doing their post workout stretches with Asuma, getting ready for a spar. They’ve gotten used to Naruto’s tardiness, due to him also being consistently late to the academy classes. 

Asuma stood in the clearing, a single bell ringing from his belt loop, “Remember, come at me with the intent to kill. You have two hours to grab a bell, else you’re back to doing your warm up all over again.”

Shikamaru and Ino sighed. They hated this part of the training days. Especially when Naruto was absent. Try as they did, but neither Shikamaru nor Ino could match Naruto in endurance portions such as this. Shikamaru muttered a small troublesome as him and Ino waited for the signal. 

Asuma slipped into a basic stance, a small wind passing them by. “Begin!” he yelled.

Both genin present immediately on the offensive. Shikamaru went through very familiar hand signs with ease, his shadow shooting forward as Ino rushed Asuma with a kunai in hand. 

Redirecting her slashes with open palms hitting Ino’s wrists, Asuma moved backwards, easily dodging the tendril of shadow and keeping out of reach of Ino’s short ranged weapon. Due to being a Nara and a Yamanaka, the clan heirs were long ranged fighters, thus depending on teammates such as the Akimichi or (in this case) Naruto, who excelled in close range combat. Ino, currently, was filling that role. Her and Shikamaru would switch off, this time being her turn, whenever Naruto was Absent. With the shadow reaching its limit, Asuma stood in place, blocking and parrying Ino’s strikes as Shikamaru repositioned. They’ve gotten better. If only Naruto was a consistent variable in these spars. Maybe then would they be trouble for Asuma. 

His thoughts were interrupted due to a shadow tendril approaching faster than normal. Looks like Shikamaru decided to get serious. Moving back again, Asuma found himself backed into a tree. Feeling victory, Shikamaru and Ino smirked, finally able to corner Asume. However, their pride was cut short when he poofed into a log, hiding from the two genin. 

“Ugghh!!! Damn it! Can’t your shadow move any faster, Shikamaru?!” Ino asked in an annoyed tone.

“Maybe you should try to distract him better, you troublesome woman…” Shikamaru mumbled.

“What was that?!” Ino snapped.

“Nothing, nothing.”

“Well Asuma-sensei has to be somewhere here…” Ino said, looking around carefully. 

Their search, unfortunately, was interrupted by a certain loudmouth who came barreling in. “Guys! Sorry I’m late! What did I miss?” Naruto asked.

“About time you’re here, idiot!” Ino yelled, bonking Naruto upside the head.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?!” Naruto asked,

“Guys, can we save it for later. We have to get the bell from Asuma-sensei,” Shikamaru said, still looking around carefully. 

“Oh, right. How much time is left?” Naruto asked.

“Thirty minutes,” Ino answered.

“Let’s split up and look for him. Send a flare tag if you find him,” Shikamaru said before the three genin split up and looked for the jounin in the surrounding forest. 

Moments later, an out of breath Asuma erupted from the ground, gasping and panting as sweet, sweet oxygen filled his lungs. “Gotta thank Kakashi for showing me that jutsu…” He said. 

Elsewhere in Konoha

Kakashi exited a bookstore, reading a light teal book, giggling to himself before abruptly stopping. “Suddenly… I feel someone has been indebted to me… Perfect…” the cyclops whispered to himself. 

With Naruto

Naruto was currently having a hard time looking for Asuma, not really knowing how far his sensei would go. With a frown, Naruto decided to backtrack, deciding he had traveled far enough to know Asuma was nowhere near. His backtracking was stopped by a red vertical cloud, signalling someone found Asuma. Naruto rushed that direction, summoning a few shadow clones to propel himself forward to get to his destination faster. 

Upon arrival, he noticed Shikamaru and Ino arriving at the same time, a confused expression on all their faces. “Wait.. You mean neither of you sent the flare?” Naruto asked. 

“Not me,” Ino answered.

“Neither did I… That means…” Shikamaru started before his eyes went wide, “It’s a trap!” Unfortunately, his exclamation was too late as a familiar black cloud surrounded the three genin. Within moments and a bunch of fighting sounds, the three genin found each other on the ground, tied up around a triumphant Asuma Sarutobi.

“Damn, am I awesome or what?!” Asuma boasted as the timer went off.

“Yeah, now you can tell all your jonin friends how you’re picking on soft little genin,” Ino snapped. Being exhausted and hungry didn’t help the girl at all. 

“You don’t have to say it like that,” Asuma said, untying his team. “Anyways, since you all failed to get a bell, you get to do your warm up all over again. Oh, and Naruto, since you missed this morning, you’ll have to do it twice.”

“Aww man, not again,” Naruto whined.

“Maybe if you woke up on time, you wouldn’t have this problem,” Ino said.

“Maybe if you focused on training and eating properly instead of Sasuke, you wouldn’t be so weak,” Naruto snapped back, not realizing what he said in time. His hands clapped to his mouth as Asuma and Shikamaru watched with wide eyes.

“Watch yourself, Uzumaki… You’re on thin ice…” Ino said before walking off to begin her workout.

“Sigh… You always have to be so troublesome, don’t you, Naruto?” Shikamaru said before walking off as well.

Asuma rest a hand on Naruto’s shoulder, “Don’t worry about it, gaki. She’ll get over it soon enough.”

Naruto nodded, deciding to start on his tremendous workout ahead of him. Forty laps around the training ground followed by one hundred and fifty push-ups and two hundred sit-ups. His eyes were glued to the ground as he went past his two other teammates easily, thinking about his mistake. A couple laps later, Naruto slowed down enough to meet Ino again, who was on her last lap, unable to meet her gaze. “Ino…” Naruto started.

“What do you want, Uzumaki?” Ino snapped with venom in her voice. 

Naruto flinched involuntarily. It seemed all too familiar to the male blond. “I just wanted to apologize for what I said back there…” Naruto said softly before running ahead again. He wasted a ton of time waiting for Ino, so now he had to keep going. 

Ino slowly came to a stop, having finished her run before going to do her push-ups. “Idiot…” Ino mumbled softly to no one in particular.

\---

Later that day

Naruto finally finished his workout, laying on his back as he watched the sky. His whole body was a little exhausted, but nothing he couldn’t handle. The sun was still moderately high, so he figured it was about three to four o’clock. A small rumbling from his stomach was all the blond needed to know that he was hungry. Getting up, he started walking towards his favorite ramen stand. 

Upon entering, Naruto took in the aroma for a second. “Hey, old man! I’ll take five miso ramen, three pork ramen, and one shrimp ramen, on the double!” Naruto said excitedly.

Teuchi smiled at the blond, chuckling. “Alright, comin’ right up!” 

“Say, Teuchi-ojii, where’s Ayame-chan?” Naruto asked.

“Ayame? Ahh, she’s out getting some groceries. She should be back shortly,” Teuchi replied, placing the first bowl in front of Naruto. “Now eat up, kiddo, we haven’t seen you in a while! I’m starting to think you don’t like our ramen anymore.”

“No way, Teuchi-ojii! Yours is the best there is! I’ve just been busy training all the time with my team!” Naruto said, explaining his absence.

“Nah, don’t worry about it Naruto, just remember to stop on by once in a while. My wallet’s getting empty when you’re gone for a long time,” Teuchi jokes, placing the blond’s second bowl in front of him. “Say, how’s Iruka-sensei? Has he made a full recovery?” 

“Yep! He’s good as new!” Naruto said, “Maybe next time I’ll be able to drag him here to treat me again!” 

Time flew as Naruto and Teuchi caught up, Ayame eventually joining the conversation when she returned. The three laughed and smiled before Naruto decided to take off, placing his money on the counter and promising to come back soon. 

Naruto ignored the hateful glares of the villagers around him. He walked with his head held high and a smile on his face as he made his way home. He didn’t really have any set destination, but he figured that he would end up somewhere. 

Suddenly, Naruto heard yelling and screaming coming from the nearby park. Approaching the area, Naruto stumbled upon a tiny looking kid wearing a blue scarf and a helmet with a hole on the top to let his hair poke through. Said child was currently screaming at a man with a bandana style headband, a navy blue jumpsuit, and circular sunglasses. 

“Honorable Grandson, please, you mustn’t start with trouble with any of the other children,” the man said.

“It’s no point, Ebisu-sensei. If they don’t wanna play with me, then they’re just looking for a fight. They started it!” the child said again.

“It doesn’t matter who started it,” Naruto said, deciding to speak up, “What matters is how you handle it.”

“What? Who the hell are you?” the child asked.

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage, dattebayo!” Naruto exclaimed with a thumbs up.

“Ha! You wish! I’m gonna be the next Hokage!” the small boy said.

“With my training,” Ebisu said with a smile, “It will be an easy task for you, Honorable Grandson.”

“Would it kill you to say my name?! It’s not that hard!! KO-NO-HA-MA-RU!” the child said in irritation.

“Baka!” Naruto yelled, bonking Konohamaru upside the head. This got the attention of both Konohamaru and Ebisu.

“Honorable Grandson!” the tutor screamed in terror.

“There’s no shortcut in life. No way to do things the easy way. Life is about struggling to get up with your own strength, not the strength given to you from birthright or money. If you aren’t strong enough to hold yourself up, how are you going to lift others?” Naruto asked, seriousness in his eyes.

Konohamaru stared at the blond, wide eyed, tears streaming down his face. “That’s it!” he exclaimed. “You’re my rival! You and me will have to see who becomes the next Hokage!”

Naruto smiled widely, “You’re on, kid! I’ll never back down from a challenge!”

“That’s a bold statement, Naruto,” a voice said.

Naruto turned around, seeing Asuma behind him. “Asuma-sensei, what are you doing here?”

“I came to pick up my nephew. He wasn’t a brat, was he?” Asuma said, looking at Konohamaru then to Naruto.

“What do you mean, Asuma-ojisan?! I’m not a brat!” Konohamaru said. “And how do you know Naruto-oniisan anyways?!”

“He’s one of my genin,” Asuma said simply. To say Konohamaru looked betrayed would be the understatement of the century.

“My own uncle… betraying me for my rival… HOW CRUEL CAN THIS WORLD BE?!” Konohamaru screamed into the sky.

Asuma sighed. “C’mon, Konohamaru, let’s get going before your kaa-san worries more.”

“Hai, Asuma-ojiisan…” Konohamaru said in a comic depression.

“Hey, Konohamaru, how about next time, I show you something neat, yeah?” Naruto asked with a grin. This seemed to brighten the eight-year-olds mood. 

“You got it boss! I bet I’d learn more from you than Ebisu-sensei!” Konohamaru laughed as he walked away with Asuma.

Naruto could feel the glare from Ebisu behind him from taking his prized student away. “While I respect your wisdom and friendliness towards the Honorable Grandson, Uzumaki-san,” Ebisu spoke softly, “Please, refrain from stealing other teachers students away from them.”

“E-err… Sorry!” Naruto said, then bolted away, not wanting to be in that situation anymore. 

\---

The next few days, Naruto was present and on time, sometimes even early. Though, reasoning for this was because Asuma decided to move their weekday meetings later into the day, which didn’t get any resilience from the genin. Today, however, was the first day that they would be doing their first mission.

As was tradition in Konoha, Team Asuma went to the Hokage Tower to receive their first mission. Naruto excitedly walked up to the Hokage’s door, entering without knocking.

“How’s it going, Jiji?” Naruto asked with a large smile on his face. Saying Ino and Shikamaru were shocked would be the understatement of the century.

“Naruto!” Ino scolded, hitting Naruto on the head. “You can’t say that about the Hokage! You’re supposed to treat them with respect!”

“Don’t worry, Yamanaka-san. Naruto-kun is like a grandson to me. We’ve known each other for quite some time,” the Sandaime said. This shocked Shikamaru and Ino more. 

“So, Jiji,” Naruto said, rubbing the lump on his head, “What are you going to have us do? Destroy a castle? Or, or fight off enemy ninja while we save a princess! Or maybe-!”

“Walking dogs,” the Sandaime said with a cheerful voice.

“Ehh.. nani..?” 

“For your first mission as Team Ten, you will be walking the Inuzuka dogs that do not have partners,” Sarutobi explained as he gave the scroll to Asuma.

“What do you mean we’re walking dogs?!” Naruto yelled.

“Stop yelling, idiot!” Ino snapped, bonking Naruto again. “We can’t just complain once we’ve accepted the mission.”

“I just… I wanted a real mission…” Naruto said, deflated. 

“This is a mission, a D-rank mission. One to not only help and benefit the village, but also help you all in getting your fund for money,” Asuma explained. “If that’s all, Hokage-sama, we will be on our way. Don’t wanna be late for our first mission.”

“I’m afraid you already are,” Sarutobi said, “They expected you ten minutes ago.”

“EHHH?!” Team Asuma exclaimed as they all rushed out of the Hokage Tower to go to the Inuzuka dog kennel. 

Sarutobi snickered at the team, a 20 ryo piece falling onto his desk from one of his hidden ANBU. “I told you, all shinobi are gullible if their kage tells them something.”

\---

Four Days Later

Naruto walked towards the training ground, his thoughts racing, wondering why Asuma wanted to meet with him. The first two days of any week was for team building sparring/exercises. The next two were for endless amounts of D-rank missions. Today was for individual training, then the weekend was for relaxing or training, if you so wished. Since today was Individual Training Day, he was a little irritated that Asuma wanted to meet him. Though, it seemed important.

Upon arrival, Naruto saw Asuma under a tree, smoking a cigarette, staring at the sky. “Yo, Asuma-sensei, you said to meet you here?”

“Yeah, I did. Listen, you know how today is individual training day?” Asuma asked.

“Yeah..?”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, Shikamaru and Ino will be training with their parents in their clan jutsu and kekkei genkai.”

“What’s that gotta do with me?”

Asuma struggled with how to phrase the next sentence. “Well… Listen, I know you’re an orphan. Iruka told me your parents died the night of the Kyuubi attack. So, you’ve got no one to teach you anything. That’s where I come in. Now, we aren’t in the same clan, so I can’t really teach you any clan jutsu, but what I can teach you is nature manipulation.”

“Nature what-now?” Naruto asked.

“For example, the Katon: Haisekishō that I used on you during the bell test. It was a Fire manipulation jutsu. Meaning I used my chakra and turned it into the desired element. This can be done with the other four: Wind, Water, Lightning, and Earth. Do you follow so far?” Asuma explained.

“So… If I can turn my chakra into one of the elements, then I can do the nature manipulation thingy?” Naruto asked.

“Switch that. If you can manipulate your chakra into the desired nature, then you can use the elements.”

“I get it! So, which one should I learn?” Naruto asked.

“First, let’s see what affinity you have.” Asuma pulled out a small slip of paper, “Here, channel your chakra into this. Based on the reaction, it will tell you the affinity. If it cuts in two, you have wind. If it burns, fire. Lightning will wrinkle, Earth will turn into dirt and crumble, Water will make it wet. Observe.” Asuma held up a paper and it immediately split into two. 

“Oh! Oh! You have wind!” Naruto exclaimed. “Wait, but if you have a wind affinity, how can you do fire jutsu?”

“I do,” Asuma confirmed. “The reason I can do fire jutsu is because I trained in it. The affinity only tells you which of the elements will be easiest to learn and the strongest of your elements. So as it stands, my wind nature is stronger than my fire nature. Now, let’s see which you have.”

“Yosh!” Naruto gave Asuma a small salute before closing his eyes and concentrating. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud “WHAT?!” coming from Asuma. Opening his eyes, Naruto looked around, “Huh?! What?! What happened?!”

“Look, you idiot!!” Asuma yelled, pointing at the paper.

Looking down, Naruto’s eyes widened. Not only did it split in half, the left half wrinkled and the right half became wet. “Sensei, does this mean I have three affinities?”

“Damn right you do, Gaki! You’re a literal jackpot!!” Asuma said loudly. “Alright kid, every week we’re coming to this spot and working your ass off!!” 

“Hai! Asuma-sensei! I knew I was awesome, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto exclaimed. 

“Now, since I am a wind user, I’ll train you in that first,” Asuma said. “Tell me, how many shadow clones can you make?”

“What’s that gotta do with this?” Naruto inquired.

“Well, the shadow clone jutsu was originally designed for spy missions. The experience the clone gets becomes transferred to the user. If you make five clones, it cuts the training down a fifth of the time. If it takes you four months for the average shinobi, with enough clones, it can only take one.” Asuma explained.

“Oh! I get it! Then how many do you need? Fifty? A hundred?”

“Y-you can make a hundred clones…?” Asuma asked in disbelief.

“Uhhh… uh-huh.” Was the only answer Naruto gave.

Asuma did an excited dance, celebrating and shouting. He picked Naruto up happily, “YOU’RE THE BEST GENIN I COULD HAVE EVER ASKED FOR!”

“A-anou… Can you put me down, Asuma-sensei?” Naruto asked.

Asuma cleared his throat after he set the boy down. “Right. Anyways, I think fifty clones should be enough.”

“Yosh!” Naruto said. With a cross of his fingers and a multiple puffs of smoke, fifty Narutos appeared around them. 

Asuma approached a tree, pulling a single leaf off. “You will have to split a single leaf using only your wind chakra.” Asuma placed the leaf in the middle of his palm, then covered it with his other hand. “Make sure you make your chakra sharp like a blade.” Moving his top hand, there rested a leaf that was cut diagonally.

“Right!” Naruto said. He started to approach the tree when he was stopped by Asuma. 

“Actually, Naruto, while your clones work on the wind nature manipulation, how about we do some taijutsu training?” Asuma suggested.

“What are we going to do?” Naruto asked.

“Well, first, we have to pick a style of taijutsu training. The academy stuff isn’t going to cut it, if I’m going to be honest.”

“So what do you suggest?” 

“There’s the Gōken, which is to cause heavy external damage and break bones,” Asuma suggested.

“No, it doesn’t sound like something I’m interested in. I want something more… tricky to understand,” Naruto said.

Asuma pondered his students suggestion. “I’ll tell you what, today, let’s just go with some heavy taijutsu sparring, then I’ll see if there are any scrolls that you might like for next week, yeah?” 

“Alright, Asuma-sensei. Let’s get started!” Naruto exclaimed. 

Asuma smiled and took a familiar looking object out from his pouch. “Let’s see how close you can get to getting the bell.”

Several Hours Later

Naruto fell to the ground exhausted, recovering from the massive backlash he got from dispelling all his clones at once. He looked at Asuma standing above him, a small smile on his face. “Thank for taking time out of your day to help me, Asuma-sensei,” Naruto said.

“Don’t mention it, Gaki. Like I said, Ino and Shikamaru have their parents, it’s my job to make sure all three of my genin get stronger. So, you having no one to help you, that position falls onto me,” Asuma said. “I’ll check the library for you and see if there are any scrolls for a ‘tricky’ taijutsu.”

“Thanks Asuma-sensei, you’re a lifesaver.”

\---

Few Weeks Later

Team Asuma arrive at their usual training ground, arriving at around the same time. Naruto and Asuma have decided to just hone Naruto’s instincts rather than give him just a set style. After all, having no style is just a threatening as having an unpredictable style. Ino and Shikamaru haven’t been slouching either. Although Ino would rather spend time shopping and fangirling over Sasuke, she’s been working hard. She just needs one final push. The same could be said about Shikamaru. The Nara would rather cloud watch or beat Asuma at shogi. Just don’t let him play Naruto… The last time the two played, they actually had to hold down Shikamaru from killing the poor blond. Who knew a pissed off Nara was scary? Better yet, who knew Naruto was so good at shogi??? Naruto certainly didn’t. There was just something about Naruto that made them more determined. Seems like the ‘dead last’ wasn’t such an idiot after all.

Speaking of Naruto, his elemental training is still a far ways away. The boy managed a small cut, but that’s all he’s been able to get. 

“Listen, you guys. I know today is usually team building day, but we have an important mission to do,” Asuma said.

“Oh god… Please don’t tell me we have to catch that troublesome cat again,” Shikamaru said.

Asuma laughed. “No, not Tora. Hokage-sama likes our improvements, so we have been handed a C-rank mission. We will be escorting a bridge builder to Nami no Kuni.”

“Do they have ninja in Nami no Kuni, Asuma-sensei?” Ino asked.

“No, they don’t. Although some smaller countries like Taki, Kusa, and Ame have ninja, Nami no Kuni depends on their neutrality and trades for their economy. So I don’t expect we’ll face too much opposition,” Asuma said. “Anyways, meet at the Eastern Gate in one hour, be packed for at least a weeks trip. Got it?” 

“Hai!” the three genin said before dispersing to go pack.

Chapter End

\---

AN: And that’s another chapter done!!! I know I said I like long chapters, but school has been going on recently, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to write for long periods of time. So instead of long drawn out chapters that are released randomly, I’ve decided for smaller chapters that can be released more consistently. So the outcome is the same, just the method of said outcome is different. Thank you to all that took time to read this chapter, and I hope you guys leave a review with praise or constructive criticism! Oh! And let me know if you’d rather have longer chapters that are released further apart or shorter chapters that are closer together. Thank you!

As always, my fics are beta read by my lovely, idiotic sister! 

I take offense to being called idiotic.

Shh… No one has to know… 

You literally said it not 3 sentences ago.

Uhh… K THANKS BYEEEE~~

Yeah shockingly, I READ these! I’m your beta reader.


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